Thank you, Autodesk for taking care of your employees' well-being

 In early 2020, Autodesk employees, like so many companies around the world, had no choice but to pivot to a fully remote business model to adapt to the challenges of Covid-19. It became more important than ever with this shift from working in an office to working from the couch, and work-life balance for many plummeted. Now, with work always around you, that puts pressure on many to keep their computers on, answer emails and Slack messages after business hours, and remain available for anything and everything. Without this separation and with the added pressure of constant connection, burnout gets increased tremendously.

The Autodesk Leadership team proactively checked on the impacts of burnout on our employees. They surveyed our different sub-organizations to gauge interest and receive candid feedback about work/life balance and feelings of burnout. As result, our CEO, Andrew Anagnost, in his Holiday Message for employees, announced “Focus Fridays” as a solution to mitigate burnout. Though I heard about this concept first time, a few months ago before going for Christmas Holiday, it clicked for me recently when I went through the different changes in the team. Autodesk, my company, has implemented a very successful strategy for employees in combating burnout and supercharging the Team's productivity. Here I have tried to cover a few tips on how we focus on Fridays and why it’s important. **Autodesk Offices are there in Israel, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia, the focused work block takes place on Sundays from noon until the end of day and is called Smart Sundays.

The core of Focus Friday is, well, focus. It’s time to work without distractions, and those come mainly in the form of meetings. With few exceptions, we book no meetings on Fridays, whether they’re for sales, clients, or affiliates. And use this time to catch up on focused work and invest time in your professional learning and development. It’s our day to take a breath and concentrate.

How to Concentrate Better

This uninterrupted block of time allows me to do my best work and I end the week knowing that I haven't just checked off tasks on my to-do list, but rather I've created real value for myself and the company. Here are some things I’ve learned along the way that increase concentration power for Focus Friday.

1. Don’t schedule meetings for the day—or at least half the day.
2. Turn off Slack/MS Team Channel or set yourself away.
3. Put your phone in silent mode or another room.
4. Find your trigger to concentrate. This could be a certain type of music or moving your computer to a different location. Meditation works for many people.
5. Maintain and check out your To-Do list--- what's pending? what needs calm time to think? Your to-do list is never-ending and the emails keep coming.

What to Do With Your Friday Focus

• Take a little time for yourself. It’s Friday at noon. Time to pull out your To-Do list from your folder and put on some headphones for two hours. Focus Friday isn’t a day off, but taking some personal time to learn a new skill or do something you love (maybe some FRIYAY meme) during the day is healthy.
• Where is your to-do list from all those meetings this week? What task is going to take the most time and brainpower? Block out the hours and finish the job.
• What does your email inbox look like? Can you organize it better and help yourself get ahead next week?
• Review. If you don’t have any major projects, review your job description, look for the short course, and industry basic, and note down new ideas that can be done on a quarterly or annual basis.
• Take a small walk. Turn your brain off for a few hours. The weekend is about to start and that means family time, errands, and chores. Quiet time is important and this might be your only chance.
• Check-in with the industry. Pick up an industry-related magazine or download a podcast that is relevant to your position.
• Maybe it’s time to learn something new. There are certifications out there that will help you and your business move forward. Or schedule your mentorship session, to learn or consult about any skills, focus areas, or knowledge of your favorite topic.
• Write. Do you have a blog or a real notebook journal? Grab a pencil or your favorite pen and write whatever you need to help yourself stay centered. Or score yourself (1-5) on how well you did invest your best time on your highest value activities. Keep a log that you fill out after each focus session in your business journal. It only takes you two minutes. This simple task will allow you to objectively look at your value creation for this time and get better and better over time.

The more time you can focus on high-value tasks away from your inbox, the closer you will get to building an owner independent business primed for growth. Everything you need to achieve your BIG goals faster this summer without sacrificing your health or forsaking your family.